Childish Gambino's net worth revealed as This is America tops Billboard chart

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Childish Gambino is finally getting the shine he deserves. 

The rapper, born Donald Glover, released a poignant new single on May 5, 2018, called This is America. 

In the days since, he's seen a 419 per cent increase in album sales in the United States and scored his first number one hit in the week ending in May 10, 2018, according to Billboard. 

Childish Gambino, real name Donald Glover, has seen an increase in music downloads since the release of his latest single, This is America

Following the release of the song, along with its buzz-worthy video, music-lovers have been digging into his musical archives in droves. 

Childish Gambino's albums sold 11,000 copies from just 2,000 the previous week. This is America isn't featured on any of those albums, but is expected to appear on his next one. 

The Billboard 200 chart dated May 19, 2018 included three of the rapper's previous albums, reflecting the increase in sales. Awaken, My Love! appeared at No. 45 up 156 per cent, Because the Internet returned at No. 61 up 178 per cent and Camp appeared again at No. 197 up 174 per cent. 

As for streaming, Childish Gambino's music saw about 102.7 million clicks in both video and audio streams. That's a 487 per cent increase.

According to Billboard, that figure is reflective of This is America, which collected a whopping 65.3 million streams. 

The music industry isn't the only professional arena in which Childish Gambino's flourishing. He's also being praised for his performance in the upcoming stand-alone Star Wars film, Solo, in which he plays Lando Calrissian.

If you don't know 34-year-old Childish Gambino yet, it's time to get acquainted. Here's what you need to know. 

Who is Childish Gambino? 

Childish Gambino is a singer, songwriter and rapper. He was born Donald McKinley Glover Jr. and goes by that name when he acts. 

He's also a comedian, writer, director and producer. 

He was born on September 25, 1983 on Edwards Air Force Base in California. His mother Beverly and father Donald Glover Sr raised him in Stone Mountain, Georgia. 

Donald grew up a Jehovah's Witness, which he's spoken about in his comedy.

Before he was a famed musician and actor, he attended New York University. He graduated with a degree in dramatic writing in 2006.

He's now released three studio albums, several EPs and mixtapes, and appeared in several well-known films and TV shows including The Martian, 30 Rock, Community, and Atlanta. 

Donald is set to appear in Solo: A Star Wars Story.

Following the release of an interview Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy gave with Premiere France during Cannes Film Festival, it was believed Donald was getting his own Star Wars Story.

'We think that the next spin-off will be dedicated to Lando Calrissian,' Kathleen reportedly said during an interview with the outlet.

'Of course, there are still many stories to tell about Han [Solo] and Chewbacca but Lando will be next.'

Gizmodo reached out to representatives at Lucasfilm for confirmation and were told it was mistranslated and that '[Kennedy] said it's something she'd like to do one day in the future'. 

Donald is also due to appear in the new Lion King film alongside Beyonce. He will play Simba in the film.

As for Donald's personal life, he is notoriously private, however, it is known that he's been dating a girl called Michelle for some time and the pair have two sons together. 

Their eldest son is called Legend, while the name of their youngest child hasn't yet been revealed. 

Are Childish Gambino and Donald Glover the same person?

Childish Gambino is Donald Glover's stage name, which he uses for musical pursuits. He came up with it using a Wu Tang Clan name generator.  

Childish Gambino net worth

Childish Gambino's net worth is believed to be about $12 million (£8.8m) according to Celebrity Net worth.

How did Childish Gambino make his money? 

Childish Gambino, aka Donald Glover, has seen varying levels of success as an actor, musician and comedian. While his career got off to a slow start, he's had a large following of loyal fans from the beginning.

After graduating from NYU, Donald was contacted by David Miner, whom he sent writing samples in the hopes of being chosen to write for The Simpsons. David and Tina Fey were impressed by his work and invited him to write for 30 Rock. 

He spent three years writing for the show, making occasional cameos.

Donald released his first mixtape as Childish Gambino in 2008. The independent project was titled Sick Boi.

Meanwhile he continued to pursue acting. In 2009, he appeared as Troy Barnes on Community. He left the show in its fifth season, however. 

He also released another mixtape titled Poindexter. Three others, titled I Am Just a Rapper, I Am Just a Rapper 2 and Culdesac, followed. 

In March 2010, Donald performed a 30-minute stand-up set on Comedy Central Presents. He won a Rising Comedy Star award at the Just for Laughs festival in July of that year.

His one-hour Comedy Central stand-up special, Weirdo, premiered in 2011. That same year, he released his debut studio album, Camp. The project debuted at No. 11 on the Billboard 200.

In 2013, Donald signed on to create the wildly popular FX series Atlanta. He stars in the show and serves as a writer and executive producer. 

His second studio album, Because the Internet, also released that year. It debuted at number seven on the Billboard 200. The project included songs like 3005 and Sweatpants. 

Donald set out on the 'Deep Web' Tour in May 2014. 

The multi-hyphenate released a mixtape called STN MTN and an EP called Kauai.

Because The Internet and 3005 got Donald nominated for his first Grammy awards. The album was nominated for best rap album while the song was nominated for best rap performance. 

In 2015, Donald appeared in Magic Mike XXL and was featured on the soundtrack singing a cover of Bruno Mars's single Marry You. That same year he also appeared in The Martian alongside Matt Damon. 

Donald appeared on the soundtrack for Creed twice. He performed a song called Waiting For My Moment and helped to write another song called Breathe. 

In 2015, two years after he initially signed on, FX ordered 10 episodes of Atlanta. The show premiered in September 2016 and was a hit with critics and fans. Due to the show's success, Donald landed another deal with the network to create more shows.

One of them, a Deadpool cartoon, was cancelled due to creative differences. 

In December 2015, he released Awaken, My Love!, his third studio album. It charted at number five on the Billboard 200. The album included hits like Me and Your Mama, Redbone and Terrified.

The album, and several songs off it, were nominated for a number of Grammy Awards including album of the year, best urban contemporary album, best traditional R&B performance, record of the year and best R&B song. 

Donald performed Terrified during the 60th annual Grammy Awards.

In 2017, Donald appeared as Aaron Davis in Spider-Man: Homecoming.

His next big role will be playing Lando Calrissian in Solo: A Star Wars Story.

In January 2018, Donald signed his first major music deal with RCA Records. He released This is America, which he unveiled during Saturday Night Live.

The song is his first ever to land at No. one on the Billboard music charts. 

The majority of his money has come from his pursuits as an actor, though recent interest in his music suggests that may soon change.

Childish Gambino Call Me Maybe

Childish Gambino premiered a chilling video for his latest single, This is America, on May 5, 2018. Both the song and the accompanying visuals are thought to be a take on gun violence and other issues in America, including racism. 

The heavy underlying message left some uncertain that the video was meme-able, however, many Twitter users couldn't help but laugh at this mashup of Childish Gambino's This is America choreography and Carly Rae Jepsen's Call Me Maybe. 

The video was created by the person behind the YouTube channel LOTI. It's been viewed more than 3.7 million times.

Childish Gambino Star Wars

Donald Glover will appear in Solo: A Star Wars Story. He'll be playing Lando Calrissian, a famed smuggler. 

During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Donald revealed that after finding out he got the part, he called his dad. 

'Then,' he continued. 'I got a large cheese pizza, and went home and watched Empire Strikes Back.'

The film hasn't yet been released, but Donald is being praised for stealing the show. 

Solo: A Star Wars Story 

Solo: A Star Wars Story tells the story of a young Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich). The film reveals how he came to meet Chewbacca, the co-pilot on the Millennium Falcon and a confidant of sorts of the Star Wars hero.

It also focuses on his encounter with Lando Calrissian, a notorious smuggler/gambler known across the galaxy. 

The film also stars Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Thandie Newton, Paul Bettany, Jon Favreau, Richard Dixon and more. 

Solo: A Star Wars Story hits theaters on May 25, 2018.